The Supreme Court led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has expressed grave concern over the tragic rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The court has established a 9-member task force to develop safety protocols for doctors at their workplaces and has instructed the Central Bureau of Investigation to provide a status update by August 22.
The Supreme Court has criticized the West Bengal government for the delay in filing a FIR, questioning the lack of effective management of the crime scene and the autopsy, which revealed the doctor’s murder. The bench comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra also noted, “It appears crime was detected in early hours, medical college principal tried to pass it off as suicide.” Meanwhile, Chief Justice Chandrachud said that the National Task Force (NTF) will focus on the safety and well-being of medical professionals. He also mentioned that the NTF will create an action plan to prevent gender-based violence and ensure respectful working conditions for all doctors, including interns and residents.
A 31-year-old postgraduate physician was allegedly sexually assaulted and killed at a hospital seminar hall on August 9, sparking national indignation. A volunteer for the community named Sanjay Roy was taken into custody in relation to this crime. Physicians across the country staged rallies in response to the tragedy, demanding new laws and justice to protect resident physicians in hospitals and institutions. Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, has come under fire for the way her government handled the matter, and her own attempts to resolve the issue failed to defuse the demonstrators’ unrest.
